San Mateo County Birding Guide by Sequoia Audubon Society - Printed on October 30, 2026
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Visiting the small town of Pescadero makes a natural accompaniment to a day along the coast. Coming from SR1 (Pacific Coast Highway), if you continue east past the marsh another mile on Pescadero Road, you will arrive at the agricultural community of Pescadero. There are restaurants, stores and a gas station here in the town center at the intersection of Pescadero and Stage Roads. If you don't care for a formal meal you can get sandwiches and baked goods at the town's two grocery stores. Indeed, outdoor seating adjacent to one of these stores is close enough to the Pescadero Creek riparian corridor to provide opportunities to continue birding throughout your meal. (This store now also features fresh pizza and, in season, barbecue.)
Pescadero Creek passes under the Stage Road bridge near the town's church, north of the town's stop light. The creek here has willows, vireo-friendly cottonwoods, and a thick understory that provides excellent habitat for songbirds. The rough user trail under the bridge to the water's edge may be inviting to some; however, birding from the bridge - with an eye to the traffic behind you - is just as efficient, and far easier to manage.
By parking near the church, you can take a short walk over the bridge and to your right along the first, short block of North Street, then right again down the one short block of Goulson St. This route will take you along more of the town's rich riparian zone, which is especially productive during migration. In summer, this stretch of riparian is one of the county's last breeding locations for Yellow Warblers. In winter, mixed sparrow flocks at the end of Goulson St. have often turned up White-throated and other rare Sparrows. Stop at the end of the pavement and scan the adjacent fields and riparian edge (a spotting scope can be useful here.)
Returning to North Street, a right turn will take you past rows of modest houses and the Pescadero Elementary School. In the breeding season, listen and look for Grasshopper Sparrows, which are sometimes present on the grassy hillside just behind the roadside buildings to the northwest. In winter, sparrow flocks with unusual species may occur along this, or any of the town's residential streets. Also in winter, take full advantage of any and all open-sky vistas around town for cruising raptors. Christmas Bird Count teams have often picked up Ferruginous Hawks here. Rough-legged Hawk is a more remote winter possibility, and even Crested Caracara has occurred in the recent past.
Historically, the stretch of riparian woodland running through town has proven productive for rare wintering and fall migrant warblers, although this has been less true in recent years. The creek can be checked from a few places along Pescadero Road heading east of town, but be sure to respect local property rights in this area. Where the creek corridor first approaches the edge of Pescadero Road about 1/4 mile east from the town's only stoplight, a Yellow-green Vireo drew a crowd in September 1997, and a wandering Dickcissel did the same just east of that point a season later. In winter, flocks of Pine Siskins may be present almost anywhere in town, and can number in the hundreds in some years.
If you continue along Pescadero Road east from town and across the first bridge, you will soon come upon a farmstand on your right. A colorful sign along the road will identify this as Phipps Country Store and Farm. Not only is this a charming location to spend an hour or two birding, it's also a great spot to bring children and non-birders (in regard to entertaining the non-birders in your group, don't overlook the goat farm in town, either).
Park in front of the fruit-and-vegetable stand and stroll through the greenhouse, aviary and animal pens and along the creek. There are lots of birds here, both domestic and wild. (Sorry, you can't count the fancy caged ones on your "life list." Still, they may draw in ones that you can, such as White-winged Doves that briefly hung around the outside of the aviaries in January 2010 and October 2004.) A path will lead you west along a willow-lined stream, past a pick-your-own berry patch and herb garden, and eventually to tall alders and cottonwoods along Pescadero Creek.
Do not skip anything along this route, especially during fall and winter. Practically every willow clump on the property has turned up its share of rarities over the years. The back-most area along Pescadero Creek, sometimes referred to as the 'Wild Garden', was heavily flood-damaged in 1998, and has never fully recovered as of this revision (in 2011). It still supports an overgrown mixture of native and exotic vegetation along the stretch of creek bordering the ranch, and birds are sometimes abundant, especially in fall and winter when many vagrant warblers, vireos, sparrows and flycatchers have been identified over time. Check the roving flocks of bushtits and chickadees for the occasional "vagrant" songbird during this time of year. Also scrutinize the many sparrow flocks along the edges of weedy fields. White-throated and Swamp Sparrows occur in small numbers each winter, and in migration there may be Clay-colored or Chipping Sparrows too. Common Merganser ducks are sometimes spotted along the creek itself, and in the breeding season you may even be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of them with their spotted chicks in tow.
Canada Goose, Mallard, Common Merganser, California Quail, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Turkey Vulture, Northern Harrier, Cooper's Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, Killdeer, Rock Pigeon, Band-tailed Pigeon, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning Dove, Anna's Hummingbird, Allen's Hummingbird (spring-summer), White-throated Swift, Belted Kingfisher, Red-breasted Sapsucker (winter), Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Nuttall's Woodpecker (uncommon here), Northern Flicker, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Western Wood-Pewee, Willow Flycatcher, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Black Phoebe, Say's Phoebe, Cassin's Vireo (uncommon, spring/fall migrant), Hutton's Vireo, Warbling Vireo, Steller's Jay, Western Scrub-Jay, American Crow, Common Raven, Tree Swallow, Violet-green Swallow, Barn Swallow, Cliff Swallow, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Bushtit, Bewick's Wren, Pacific Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Wrentit, Western Bluebird, Swainson's Thrush (spring-fall), Hermit Thrush (winter), American Robin, Northern Mockingbird, European Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Orange-crowned Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, MacGIllivray's Warbler (migration), Spotted Towhee, California Towhee, Grasshopper Sparrow (uncommon here), Fox Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Black-headed Grosbeak, Lazuli Bunting (uncommon here), Red-winged Blackbird, Tricolored Blackbird, Western Meadowlark, Brewer's Blackbird, Purple Finch, House Finch, Pine Siskin, Lesser Goldfinch, American Goldfinch, House Sparrow
In this guide, "rarities" are defined as those species given an County Abundance Code of 4, 5, or 6.
The complete list of rarities found within walking distance from the town over the years would be long indeed. What follows is an incomplete sample: this area is one of the migrant hotspots of the county. Cackling Goose (2017), Greater White-fronted Goose (2017, 2018, 2020), California Condor (2014, caught on a motion-detecting camera on a ranch near town), Cattle Egret (2017), Ferruginous Hawk (numerous winters), Swainson's Hawk (2010), Golden Eagle (2011, 2013), Crested Caracara (2014), Sandhill Crane (fly-over 2013), Common Gallinule (2016), Solitary Sandpiper (2010, 2016, 2017), Red Phalarope (2017), Barred Owl (2021), White-winged Dove (2010), Yellow-billed Cuckoo (2009, 2010), Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (2011, 2020, 2021), Red-naped Sapsucker (2014, 2018, 2021), Hammond's Flycatcher (2009), Cassin's Kingbird (2018), Tropical Kingbird (2020), Eastern Phoebe, Vermilion Flycatcher (2014), Yellow-green Vireo (1997), Bank Swallow (2016, spring migration), Gray Catbird (2020), Northern Parula (2008), Tennessee Warbler (2019), Blackpoll Warbler (1994, 1997, 2009, 2010), Prairie Warbler (2020), Black-and-White Warbler (2012, 2018, 2019), Northern Waterthrush, Yellow-throated Warbler (1994), Blackburnian Warbler (1994), Palm Warbler (2000, 2011, 2014), Worm-eating Warbler (2012, about a mile east of Phipps), Black-throated Blue Warbler (2009, 2010, 2012, 2013), Yellow-breasted Chat (2015), Green-tailed Towhee, Swamp Sparrow, Clay-colored Sparrow (2010), Chipping Sparrow (2009, 2010), White-throated Sparrow (annual), Rose-breasted Grosbeak (numerous years), Dickcissel (1998), Yellow-headed Blackbird (2005), Rusty Blackbird (1996), Baltimore Oriole (2013, Dearborn Park), Orchard Oriole (2018, 2019, 2020), Evening Grosbeak (2010), Summer Tanager (Dearborn Park 2014, 2015, 2017), Lawrence's Goldfinch (2013)
Easiest access from north or south is via the Coast Highway (Hwy 1). Pescadero Creek Road proceeds upstream from the coastline alongside a large freshwater marsh from the coast 2 miles to the town. For those who enjoy narrow, curvy mountain roads, Pescadero Creek Road eventually connects to Highway 84 just west from the small town of La Honda, which can provide a more direct route to towns of the mid-Peninsula such as Palo Alto or Redwood City.
Birders are currently allowed to walk the Phipps property free of charge, but in order to maintain this privilege it is always good procedure to show our appreciation by patronizing the farmstand on the way out. (Note especially the world-class selection of dry beans grown on the premises, and the packaged soup mixes consisting of those beans!) General visitors to the Phipps Farm are asked to pay a $3 admission fee (ages 5-59; others free).
The town of Pescadero tends to roll up the sidewalks early, although food can be obtained at the gas station/restaurant from 6AM on, and some restaurants stay open late into the evening. Phipps Country Store and Farm opens at 10AM year-round. However, owner Tom Phipps has always been generous in allowing early-hours access for birders. Please express your appreciation appropriately in order that our community may retain this privilege!
Thanks to the open roads and trails in this area, there are few issues with ticks etc. At Phipps Country Store, a small farm plot at the back, left corner of the farm has been leased to another farmer, who lives in a trailer on the premises with two large dogs. The dogs may be loose and/or vocal at any given time. Both the farmer and his dogs have always been friendly to birders up to this point, although if the dogs take a shine to you it can interfere with your birding as they tag along with tails swinging away!
Basic services are available during normal working hours. Overnight accommodations are available at several bed-and-breakfasts in, or within walking distance from town. At Phipps Store and Farm, there are portable toilets and a picnic table for customers of the farmstand. Parks, beaches, and preserves abound in the immediate area.
There are currently three hotspots on eBird connected with the area around the town of Pescadero. Given how rich this spot is, and how often birded, it is surprising how little data these hotspots hold. The three are entitled: Pescadero Creek-in town; Phipp's Ranch; Phipp's Ranch Natural Garden.
In the halcyon days of its operation, Phipps Ranch was the site of nine Sequoia Audubon Society field trips (from 1986-2004).
Author: Garth Harwood (with thanks to Peter J. Metropulos's original short introduction to the area in the first two printed editions)., Uploaded: